


Starting Over

by lasairfhiona



Series: Fiona Saga [23]
Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-23
Updated: 2011-04-23
Packaged: 2017-10-18 13:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/189290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasairfhiona/pseuds/lasairfhiona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fiona is finally ready to start over</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starting Over

**Dingle, Ireland Summer 2102**

"Alex! Don't get too far ahead," Fiona called to the energetic seven year-old who ran along the water's edge.

"Awe… Aunt Fee," his voiced sounded exasperated at having his freedom stifled.

Dropping her bag, kicking off her shoes, and grabbing the hem of her sundress, she ran to catch up to the young boy. Grabbing him around his waist, she swung him around until they both landed in the soft sand.

"Aunt Fee..." he complained half-heartedly and began to giggle when she tickled him. He quit squirming when she released him letting him jump up and run a short distance from her.

"Go play. Just be careful around the rocks," she warned, ignoring his protests of her caution.

She watched him for a moment before picking herself up and dusting the sand from her clothes. Once again grabbing the hem of her dress, she waded at the edge of the surfline occasionally picking up a shell or a pretty rock until she was back to where she'd dropped her bag. Tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, she sat and watched the boy play, ignoring the book she brought along.

Alex was the first generation since his grandfather to come play with her for the summer. His mother unfortunately grew up when Fiona couldn't be in Ireland, when Brigid Gonne was still revered by the people. But now it was time to start again. Time to teach Alex about the past and the future and about the legacy he, the gods willing, held in his hand. His arrival also coincided with Methos' departure at the beginning of the summer. Some would say she was using him to replace Methos in her life but she wasn't. It was just time for her and Methos to part again. She had let the ghosts of the past finally lay at peace and he had unfinished business that would never find its peace if he remained here with her hiding from what he finally needed to deal with.

A squeal of delight brought her out of her contemplation and she watched as Alex picked himself up off the sand. He obviously failed to dodge a wave. She couldn't help but laugh as he dusted himself off and went back to his game, completely unfazed by the fact he was now soaked and covered in sand. Oh the unadulterated joy of youth, Fiona wished she could remember times like that with the clarity she saw before her. Her youth had faded into a dim memory. All she had were impressions of her parent's love, a teacher's approval and a lover's passion. Blood and death, her parent's, her betrothed's, her own are what remained most vivid and in times of stress still could haunt her dreams even after all these years. She would still feel the weight of Kieran’s body on her as she died her first death.

Watching him brought back memories of the first boy they'd taken for the summer – Michael, Alex's great-grandfather. They had the same black hair and grey eyes. In fact, all the men of the family looked alike, something she found heartbreaking and comforting at the same time especially as they aged and ended up looking more and more like Joe.

xXxXx

 _He stood on the hill watching the pair. He knew who she was, who she had been. He knew her secret. It was his secret too. One he guarded as close as she guarded hers. He'd been watching her for centuries. It was ironic she and the boy looked so much alike. So much so that they looked like they could have been related. They had the same raven black hair and honey coloured skin. He also knew it was impossible for them to be related. It was getting close to sunset and he watched as she called the boy and packed up her things._

 _They walked back toward where he was standing and he watched her as she drew closer. He couldn't help but notice the confidence in her stride with her black dress swirling around her ankles. She moved like a cat but still remained completely feminine, if that was possible. The boy by her side moved in the same way and he knew when he reached manhood he'd carry the same confidence as she did. He knew she would instill that in him as she had every one of the generations she'd helped raise before him._

 _Right now, however, he had to leave, before she got close enough to feel his presence. He would make himself known to her, but not right now. It was too soon. He wanted to make sure she had time with the boy before he went to her. He'd waited for ten centuries. He could wait a few more months._

xXxXx

The sun blazed its final colour for the day, striping the sky with shades of pink and blues, and reflecting on the polished silver torque she wore at her throat.

As they walked along the shore, back to where she had parked her Range Rover, she stopped one last time to watch as the sun disappeared into the horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Fiona turned and noticed the man leaning on the log behind her. "Yes, it is."

"Aunt Fee. Can we eat out tonight?" Alex interrupted.

Looking back to her 'nephew' she smiled as she answered, "Sure, babe." She turned back to the man. "I'm sorry, I'm Fiona Dawson. This is Alex."

"Garrett Jameson," he introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure," she said then paused. "Your name sounds familiar."

Garrett laughed. "I should. I was the one who restored 'The Brighid' two years ago for you and your husband."

Fiona paused. Her husband? Methos. He was Nick Dawson. It was understandable why someone would think they were married.

"Not my husband. Just an old friend who shares the same name," she clarified.

'All the better,' Garrett thought to himself. "If you are looking for a good seafood restaurant, I can recommend a great place," he offered. Knowing she wasn't married, recently separated, or even going through a divorce brightened his day.

Fiona looked at Alex and raised an eyebrow, silently asking his opinion. His "sure" clenched it. "That would be nice. Thank you," she accepted with a smile. She would never normally accept an offer like this with a man she didn't really know, but this was Dingle and she knew half the town, or at least it felt that way, besides if he was talking about eating seafood, she knew the owners of both the better restaurants in town and most of the hole in a wall fish and chips place so her and Alex's safety wasn't a concern.

xXxXx

Fiona and Alex spent the next month playing. She taught him how to tend the garden and how to make simple medicines from the herbs she grew. She taught him how to cook easy meals and had a feeling she had a budding chef standing on a stool next to her. She taught him to ride and he took to it like a fish to water resulting in them spending hours in the saddle riding all over the peninsula. She taught him to sail and they went up and down the coast and around the peninsula, with Garrett joining them when he could. And she taught him his family history and the history they recorded and protected, using the photo albums to give him an idea of who was who. He listened with rapt attention as she told him stories about Michael and Matthew's summers in Ireland, Sam and Jamie's summers in Switzerland and Australia.

"Aunt Fee?" he asked one night as they were sitting by the fire with photo albums spread out around them. "Why didn't mom spend any summers with you?"

She paused before answering. How did you explain to a child that sometimes fighting for your country took precedence? "I would have like to have her with me but the rebellion was going on when she was a child and I was fighting for the freedom of *all* of our country. Then I had to leave Ireland and go into hiding because Brigid Gonne, who I was back then, was too well know all over the commonwealth. I went to places were I couldn't take a child and be safe and by the time I could come back to Europe your mother was older and didn't want to come stay with me," she explained. Not having Rachael with her for the summers was one of her regrets. She never got to know the young woman and to this day didn't have a great relationship with her.

"Aunt Fee?"

"Yeah babe."

"Are you going to marry Garrett?" he asked closing the album on his lap and looking at her.

Fiona choked on her tea at Alex's question. It was the last thing she expected him to ask next. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well we go sailing with him. He brings me neat stuff. You kiss him," he answered matter of factly.

Fiona had to hide a smile at the simple logic that led to his question. "I like Garrett, but I don't know if we know each other well yet enough to get married," she answered. Never a truer statement had been made either. While she knew quite a bit about Garrett, he knew only what she told him about herself, which was very little. There were things he would need to know before they would ever be able to move forward with a relationship but first she needed to decide whether she wanted to per sue a relationship with him.

"Oh, okay," Alex said with a shrug, going back to his cocoa.

Fiona shrugged at how easy he accepted her answer about Garrett. If only it were that simple.

xXxXx

 _He stood at the bottom of the drive, watching though binoculars at her and the boy. He'd been right about what she'd teach the boy. Even in the past month he'd seen the child grow, become more independent. More like her._

 _The new man in her life kept him from going to her. He'd have to wait a while longer before he could finally reveal himself. For now, however, he would have to be content to watch her as he had so many times in the past._

xXxXx

"You ready Alex?" Garrett asked as the boy nodded. "Okay. You pull when I tell you to." Garrett whistled to get Fiona's attention so he could tell her what he and Alex were about to do. He yelled, "Duck, we're coming about," when she looked up at him.

The next few minutes were fast paced as they turned the sailboat and the boom flew from one side to the other under the guidance of the man and the boy.

Today was the first time Fiona specifically asked him to go north around the point. In all the weeks they had been sailing, she never indicated she wanted to go anywhere near the cliff. Fiona gestured when they came to the area she wanted to stop at.

Garrett noticed the smile on her face. She looked completely at peace. Just from the way she was sitting there, her head tilted he knew she was hearing something he couldn't. She gestured for Alex to come closer and wrapped her arms around him, whispering something in his ear.

"This is it?" Garrett heard Alex ask.

"Yes." Fiona answered, kissing the top of Alex's head.

Alex was quiet for a minute then turned back to Fiona, quietly asking, "Are you okay, auntie?"

"More than okay," she answered before motioning to Garrett they could move on.

He wondered what was so special about that spot on that day, but didn't ask.

They went into the harbour with their sails dawn. Alex was steering the boat while Garrett sat supervising with his arm around Fiona.

"Fiona, that spot we stopped. It is special isn't it?" Garrett finally asked.

"In a way, yes," she answered, quietly.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's just the way you looked when we were there."

"It's okay." She knew she hadn't told him much about her past. She'd always neatly avoided the subject. "I scattered my husband's ashes there."

"Your husband?" Garrett didn't even attempt to hide his surprise. "I didn't know you were married."

"I wasn't actually. We just spent what seemed like a lifetime together," she explained, nudging Alex when he giggled at her answer. He knew the truth. He'd grown up knowing Fiona was different and his father had explained everything before Alex came to spend the summer with her. He needed to know in case she faced a challenge or something happened to her.

"The older man in the picture?" Garrett asked, referring to the photo of Fiona and Joe she kept out.

"Joe, yes," she said, her smiling softening. That was one of her favourite photos of her and Joe taken at the turn of the millennium.

"Aunt Fee," Alex interrupted. "There is some guy standing near our slip."

No sooner had Alex finished his observation than Fiona felt the tingle of another Immortal. The closer to the slip they got, she recognised Connor. Good thing it was a friend since she'd left her sword at home. It was kind of hard to hide it in shorts and a tank top plus she wasn't ready to answer the question of *why* she had to keep a sword handy, it was bad enough explaining the reason she had a short sword hanging in the galley was in case something happened to her.

When the boat was secured, with Connor's help, she greeted her guest with a big hug. "What are you doing in Ireland?"

"Thought I'd come check up on you since Duncan said the 'old man' left."

"He's been gone for months now Connor."

"Yeah, well – news travels slowly," he said with a shrug. "You look like you're doing okay."

"I am," she said with a smile. Beckoning Alex and Garrett to her she introduced them. "Connor MacLeod, this is Alex Dawson."

Connor greeted the boy with a handshake and a grin. To Fiona he whispered, "Another generation? You're going to have to show me the family tree one of these days." Garrett he greeted with some curiosity.

Alex simply said, "Hi," before checking Connor out, noticing the jacket, he asked, "Are you like Aunt Fee?"

"Heh, heh, heh," Connor laughed. "Cute kid."

Fiona shook her head. She was going to have to have a talk with Alex about things to say and not say when in public. "Yes, Alex," she answered, turning to Garrett to hide her smile. Taking his hand, she pulled him next to her. "Garrett Jameson," she said, introducing him to Connor. She watched as the two men shook hands, sizing each other up as they did. She also had no doubt when Connor left there would be a parade of mutual friends coming to visit. There was no way the eldest MacLeod would keep Garrett's presence in her life a secret. Not when he seemed to be the first mortal she seemed attracted to since Joe's death.

xXxXx

 _He watched their greeting. He remembered when she'd met the Highlander. He, however, hadn't known they had remained friends. This was the first time he'd seen them together since the early years. Guessed he missed seeing the Highlander when he'd checked up on her over the last couple hundred years._

 _Now that the other immortal was there he'd have to be more careful and really keep his distance from her home, unless he knew where they both were. It wouldn't do him any good to get caught watching her, especially by MacLeod. He knew the Highlander's reputation and knew how ruthless he could be when pushed and since he didn't know the extent of their friendship he wouldn't risk her being one of MacLeod's "special" friends._

xXxXx

"Connor leaving tomorrow?" Garrett asked quietly.

"Yeah, he's going back to South Africa," Fiona rubbed her hands across his arms as they wrapped around her.

"That was great of him to take Alex camping. I like the kid but it's nice to have some time alone with you." He tightened his embrace on the woman leaning against his chest.

Just as Fiona was about to reply, the phone rang, cutting her off. "Damn," she muttered as she extracted herself from Garrett's arms and stumbled to the phone. Pushing the button she answered the vid phone. "'ello."

"Fiona."

"Sam. Nice to see you. Calling to check up on Alex?"

"No Fiona. Sit down. I've got bad news."

"Sam…"

"It's dad. He died today."

"Oh sweet Brigid," her cry brought Garrett to her side as she sunk to the floor.

Sam's cry of "Fiona!" brought Garrett to his feet and back to the vid phone.

"Who are you?" Sam asked when he saw Garrett.

"A friend."

"Where's Alex?" Sam asked about his grandson.

"Camping with Connor MacLeod," Garrett answered.

"Tell Connor Michael died and we're bringing his ashes home, but don't do it when Alex is around, let us tell him if Fiona can't. He can call me for details."

"Understood."

"Fiona. Take care of her. This is going to be hard for her. As hard as Joe."

Garrett didn't understand what was going on, but taking care of Fiona would come easy to him. "I will." Breaking the connection, Garrett sat back down next to Fiona and gathered her in his arms. Rocking her as she cried. When her sobs quieted and her breathing evened, Garrett carried her to the bedroom and held her as she slept.

Connor and Alex found them curled together when they came home just before dusk. Untangling himself from her, he motioned to Connor to go back out into the hall so he could talk to him, nodding subtly toward Alex indicating he didn't want the boy to hear.

As they walked down the hall, Connor instructed, "Alex, why don't you hop into the tub and get cleaned up. You know your Aunt Fiona won't want you running around the house filthy."

Alex sighed but followed Connor's instructions without too much complaint.

"What's wrong?" Connor asked once Alex was out of earshot. There was more tension in the house than there should have been.

"Sam called. He said to tell you Michael died and they were bringing him home."

"Shit…" Connor exclaimed quietly. "I have some phone calls to make and then I'm leaving." He walked to the breakfast bar and grabbed one of the copious notepads Fiona had and a pen to make a list of the people he needed to talk to and things that needed to be done.

"You're leaving? You're supposed to be her friend, what kind of friend would leave her now," Garrett accused.

"I'm leaving because I have other people to tell and it should be done face to face. She won't be without support. You're here. Others will be here, most likely by the time the sun sets tomorrow night, if not sooner," he informed Garrett.

"What about Alex?"

"If Fiona can't, Sam will tell him or Rachel, his mother, when they get here."

"Okay…" Garrett said not quite understanding what was going on.

"I would tell you if I could, but it's not my story to tell. Only Fiona can do that and you'll have to be patient and wait until she is ready," Connor explained. "If she is ever ready," he added to himself as he left Garrett standing in the hallway.

xXxXx

Connor went to the vid phone in the guest bedroom after checking on Alex in the tub to make sure no tidal wave flooded the bathroom. Garrett would have to take care of both of them for the time being. He really hoped the trust Fiona put in the man was warranted because she would need his support, at the very least until the others got here. Punching in his clansmen's number Conner waited through many rings until Duncan appeared on the screen, sweaty and tired looking.

 _"Connor!"_

"Book a ticket – you're coming to Ireland." He could tell by Duncan's change in posture that his clansman understood this wasn't a frivolous call.

 _"What's wrong?"_

"Michael died," Connor said bluntly and watched as Duncan ran a hand through his hair. "Call the old man. Get him here. I'm on a plane in the morning."

 _"She's not alone is she?"_

Connor grinned. "No, she isn't. She has someone plus Alex is here with her."

The view screen went dark and Connor walked away. He had to pack and he needed to talk to Fiona if she woke before he had to leave.

xXxXx

 _Something was going on. He could feel it in the air. The elder Highlander left in the wee hours of the morning and he saw her walking, almost in a daze around her garden, shrugging off all affection from the mortal man. The only other time he'd seen her like this was after Joe if he remembered the name correctly, had died._

 _If something was happening he'd know within the next day or so. If no one else appeared maybe it would be the sign he was waiting for telling him after all these years that it was finally time to go to her._

xXxXx

Methos arrived by lunchtime the next day looking ragged. The house seemed oddly quiet. He hoped Fiona hadn't pulled another disappearing act rather than deal with Michael's death. His fears were put to rest when he felt her presence.

Not bothering to knock he used his key and let himself in. He hadn't even made it half way through the living room before he was met by Fiona, looking very tired as if she hadn't been sleeping.

"Methos? What are you doing here?" she asked not expecting to see him. There hadn't been enough time since Connor started making phone calls for anyone to arrive.

Wrapping her in his arms, he held her tight. "What do you think?"

"Who called you?" she asked quietly into his shoulder.

"MacLeod. The younger. Apparently the elder MacLeod thought I needed to be here ASAP and had the boyscout make sure I got here."

"Leave it to Connor," Fiona said with a sigh. "I'm glad you're here," she whispered, laying her head on his chest absorbing his warmth and comfort.

He gave her a quick kiss then released her and spent the next several minutes settling his bags into the guest room he always used. Walking back into the living room, Methos found Fiona sitting on the hearth holding an unopened bottle of beer that was undoubtedly was for him since he knew she didn't care for the brand he liked. He took the bottle from her hand and led her to the sofa with its oversized cushions. Getting comfortable, with her in his arms, he finally asked, "How are you really doing?"

She took a deep breath afraid to answer his question for fear she would break down again. "Michael was like a son to me. It's so hard… it's like losing Joe again."

Methos held her as she tried to hold back the tears that eventually fell, soaking his shirt. In his own way he felt Michael's loss. Joe's grandson had been his friend too. Michael had walked a fine line, keeping him informed about Fiona after Joe died without breaking his word to her by telling him where she was.

"I am so tired of losing them," she stuttered through her tears. Neither Immortal noticed the man standing in the doorway.

"Aunt Fee!"

Alex's shout startled both Methos and Fiona, as well as alerting them to the fact they were not alone. Fiona looked up from Methos's arms into Garrett's blue eyes and Alex's curious grey eyes.

"You're back," she said wiping her eyes, trying to pull herself together. She was grateful for Garrett and how he just took over when it came to Alex and caring for the boy while she processed the news of Michael's death.

"Just now," Garrett replied coldly.

Fiona ignored his tone of voice. "You're both wet and muddy. Drop your clothes and hit the shower," she instructed them both as if she were talking to two children instead of one of them being an over forty year old.

"Awe come on, Aunt Fee. I just had a shower last night when Uncle Connor and I got home from camping."

"No argument Alexander Joseph. Bath. Now. And use shampoo." Fiona softened her voice when she turned to Garrett, "Use mine. You know where everything is."

"Yeah," he replied quietly not wanting to make a scene. "The horses still need cleaned up. We came straight to the house when we saw the car."

Fiona nodded, acknowledging she needed to deal with the horses. She knew Methos had been watching her deal with Alex with amusement but she was glad to see he'd decided to study the photo of her and Joe when a naked seven year old dashed through the living room followed by a boxer clad man. "I'm going to check on the horses," she told him as she pulled on her wellies. "Play nice," was her parting shot as she headed out the door. She didn't need to see the 'who me' smirk he shot her departing back.

She was glad for the few minutes alone and checking the horses was her way of getting it. As much as she was glad to see Methos she almost wished this time he'd stayed away. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do where Garrett was concerned and she didn't need the added territoriality of Methos's attitude to explain on top of it. It didn't matter the last time they parted they decided it was better for them to not return to their cycle of friends and lovers again and go forward as friends. Breaking the habit for them would probably be harder than actually not being lovers again.

Garrett left them tied to the hitching posts, but he had stripped the saddles from the horses, returning them to the tack room so they wouldn't be damaged by the rain. Fiona haltered both horses then, one by one curried out the saddle marks and put them in their stalls after fitting their turnout rugs on them and removing the water buckets. The scent of the warm horses and hay calmed her like nothing else could. She knew what the next few days were going to be like and she almost wished she could escape them and the questions she knew would be asked.

Deciding she'd been away long enough, she returned to the house where she found everyone I the kitchen and Alex questioning 'Uncle Nick' oblivious to the tension between the two men as only a seven year old can be.

"Hey 'Old Man' would you mind running back into town and getting some things at the grocery for me?"

Methos looked up at her and caught the subtle gesture that told him she wanted some time with Garrett. Shrugging in reply and look at Alex, "Want to come with me?"

"Yeah..." Alex jumped from his seat, he wasn't about to miss this opportunity to question another immortal. He'd recognized this one from the pictures Fiona had of her and Methos, plus the ones of her, Joe and Methos. Alex knew him and his Aunt Fee were 'old' friends.

Fiona jotted out a list of things she would need since she was about to have a house full over the next few days. Once Methos and Alex were on their way, Fiona went in search of Garrett. She found him standing in the conservatory, looking out the windows at the fields behind the house. "Hey," she said walking up behind him and laying a hand on his back.

"Hey," he said as he turned around and looked down at her. Here he was, standing in her house, in another man's shirt, half in love with a woman who had more secrets than the government of a small country and he had no idea where he stood with her.

"You've been quiet," she commented, wondering what he was thinking.

"I just don't want to get in the way," Garrett said looking over at her before turning back to the window and the scene beyond.

"Why would you think you were in the way?" she asked wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his back.

"Nick…" he said as if she should know who he was talking about.

"What about Nick?" she asked trying to keep the defensiveness out of her voice.

"Who is he to you?" Garrett asked guarding his words against the jealousy he felt for the man who walked in and made himself at home without a second thought. The man he remembered having lived with Fiona when she came to Dingle.

She knew the question was going to come sooner or later. She'd hoped it would be later when she could take her time and explain everything to him. "He's a very old and very dear friend," she said simply, knowing while it was the truth it didn't come close to describing the complex relationship she had with Methos.

Garrett had to ask, he had to know. "Were you lovers?"

Fiona couldn't help but chuckle at that question. "Yes," she answered.

"Before or after Joe?" Garrett asked now knowing she had been married and was widowed.

She looked up at him. "Both. He and I tend to go in circles between friendship and being lovers."

"So which circle are you in now? Friend or lover?" Now Garrett's jealousy was showing, but he had to know before he got in any deeper with Fiona.

"Friend…" she said quietly, almost sad he felt he needed to ask that question but it was her own fault. She hadn't told him anything about her and the people important to her. The only one he knew anything about was Alex and only the briefest mentions of Joe.

His confusion was obvious to her. There was no missing it. In the span of 3 days he'd seen Connor come and go and Methos arrive. There would be more. Duncan and Richie would come. Amanda too. And Nick Wolfe, for even as angry as he'd been in the beginning, he had a fondness for Joe. She knew Garrett had been asking questions about her in town, several people had come up and told her and she could feel the weight of his unspoken questions. "You can ask me anything," she told her giving him an opening.

He shrugged. "I don't know where to begin. I feel like I don't know who you are. I asked Gus about you and heard what sounded like a fairy tale."

Fiona snorted. She knew Gus and she could only imagine what he told Garrett. Gus had a way of cloaking the truth in an outlandish manner and take glee in it. "I can image. You can ask me, you know."

"Did Joe die 60 years ago? Is Michael his grandson?"

"Yes," she answered honestly. There were a few people in town still alive who knew *who* and *what* she was. Those friends guarded her as their relatives had over the centuries. Like she was with Joe's family, she was with several families in town, a family tradition. Gus, the owner of the boat yard was one of those men and his family had been in Dingle for several hundred years.

"How…? I don't understand."

Fiona sighed. She hadn't been sure she was ever going to broach this subject with him. Now she was going to have to tell him something. "How it can be true is too long a story to explain it all right now. I promise you, I will. You just have to trust me right now."

"Fiona!" Another voice called from somewhere in the house.

"Coming," she called recognizing Duncan's voice. "Are you going to stay?" she asked Garrett.

"If you want me to," he said with a shrug. He didn't know what to think. She had to be over 100 years old if what she had told him was true, but she didn't even look the thirty-five she'd told him she was, if that was even her true age.

"I do," she answered. "Come meet Duncan. He and Connor are cousins of a sort."

"Okay," Garrett said, taking the hand she offered and allowing her to lead him to meet her friend.

xXxXx

 _Now he knew for sure that something was going on. Something had happened. Shortly after the Highlander left, his nemesis arrived. And now the younger Highlander was here with the thief. Why were they gathering here? Would he need to reveal himself because of it, or would he be able to continue to watch from afar?_

 _He needed to find out more about her and her life over the last couple hundred years. He'd only had glimpses mostly once she'd returned to Ireland. He'd stayed away from her while she'd been in the United States. She'd been too close to the younger Highlander during those years and he was a magnet for trouble and other immortals seeking quickenings and getting caught up in that even accidently hadn't been part of his plan_

 _He needed to know why these people were gathering. He would leave her for now. He had sources he could go to in order to find out what he needed to know. Sources he hadn't thought he'd need to use._

xXxXx

"Duncan! Amanda!" she exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen and saw them emptying grocery bags.

"Fiona," Amanda said softly, putting down the fruit in her hand and heading toward her to give her a hug. "I won't ask how you're doing."

"Thank you," Fiona replied quietly as Duncan replaced Amanda, holding her tight before she patted his chest and stepping back. "What did you bring?"

"Food. We figured if everyone was going to be here, you'd need to stock up," Duncan answered going back to putting brown wrapped packages of meat into the freezer.

"I just sent Me… Nick to the grocery for some things."

"We know. We saw him and Alex on the way up the drive. I added to his list."

Fiona shook her head at the Highlander. She knew he'd appropriate her kitchen for his stay and do all the cooking. It was his way of making her life easier.

"Fiona, are you going to introduce us?" Amanda asked, looking past her to the new comer standing in the doorway.

"Of course," she said motioning Garrett to her and wrapping an arm around his waist. "Garrett Jameson, meet Duncan MacLeod and Amanda Darieux. Mac, Amanda, this is Garrett." Once the introductions were done she stepped out of the way so they could shake hands and such. She hated times like this. When she knew they were sizing Garrett up and vice versa.

"When are Sam and Rachel arriving?" Duncan asked, knowing father and daughter would be arriving together.

"Tomorrow sometime. Jamie called and she'll be in late tonight," Fiona added about Sam's sister.

"I suppose that means Richie will be in tonight too?" Duncan commented, knowing Jamie was Richie's current watcher. Watcher Central had long ago given up keeping the anonymity when it came to Fiona, the younger MacLeod, and Richie. Instead they kept it in the family with the Dawson family watching them. Matthew's grandson, Brian, was Duncan's watcher and his granddaughter, Elsie, was hers.

"Did I hear you take my name in vain?"

"Rich."

"Richie!"

"Long time no see," Fiona said going to hug that newest arrival.

"I know. I'm sorry…" he said as he hugged her back.

"I understand." She did too. Like her, like they all do once in a while, he'd disappeared for a time. And like Michael had done when she'd disappeared, Jamie had kept his secret while keeping everyone assured he was okay.

More introductions were made and it was Richie who befriended Garrett making sure the other man didn't feel left out as Mac and Fiona fell into their usual argument about who was better in the kitchen and Methos reappeared with the Duncan's amended supply of groceries, staking his claim on Fiona's life in a less than subtle way despite all the glares she shot his direction.

Later when everyone was settled and they started to get caught up on each other's lives and stories of their absent friends, Fiona went in search of Garrett. She found him reading to a sleeping Alex.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," he replied looking up. "Everyone leave?"

She shook her head. "No, they are just catching up and reminiscing as they tend to do when we all get together."

"How come you're not out there with them? It sounds like you haven't seen Richie in a long time."

"I haven't, but sometimes it's easier to be with someone who doesn't have the history…"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, you. Meaning it's easier to be in here with you rather than out there where ghosts that are sometimes better left alone are being resurrected," she answered. She loved to talk about the past as much as the rest of them. It was knowing Michael would be 'coming home' tomorrow for the last time that stopped it. She didn't want to get lost in those memories right now.

Garrett got up and hugged her. Holding her tightly. "I wish I could say or do something to make it all better for you or at least try and ease your burden," he said wishfully, but he had no idea how to help when he really didn't understand what was going on.

"I know it doesn't feel like it but trust me you are."

"I wish I could believe that. There is so much I don't understand."

"I know." Fiona pulled back and looked at him, giving him a gentle kiss before tugging him out of Alex's room and heading to her bedroom. She motioned toward the bed and went into the bathroom, bringing a towel with a small knife wrapped in it. She was about to give him the quick and dirty.

"Fiona?" he questioned wondering what was going on.

She settled on the bed facing him so their knees were touching. The towel lay rolled in her lap. Taking a page from Duncan's playbook, she looked at him and started, "I am Lasairfhiona. I was born here in Dingle in 435AD and I can't die." She unrolled the towel and ran the blade of the knife across the palm of her hand slicing nearly to the bone.

Garrett gasped when he saw what she did, but watched in horrid fascination as she wiped the blood away and the wound heal itself. "I don't understand…" he stuttered taking her hand and rubbing his thumb across her palm where the knife cut had once been.

"I am immortal. There is so much more to understand and explain, but I wanted to give you the basics so the others won't have to tiptoe around you and have you wondering what wasn't said," she added, twining her fingers with his.

"They know. They are too?" He asked and guessed at the same time.

"Yes. All but one of them are much younger than I am." She waited and watched as he did the math in his head.

"That means you are… over 1500 years old…" his astonishment obvious in the tone of his voice.

"Yes."

"Wow…" he said, stunned at the confirmation. He didn't know what to say next. Didn't know what to ask. "It's…"

"A little much?" Fiona supplied.

"That would be an understatement," Garrett said with a nervous laugh, tightening his hand on hers. "Does it get easier?"

Fiona shrugged, not quite knowing how to answer his question. Yes, the understanding got easier. Living with an immortal, not necessarily.

"You said there was more? How much more?" he asked sensing that what she hadn't said didn't necessarily mean things would be easy to understand.

"Quite a bit," she answered quietly.

"Oh…" he said unsure if he really wanted to know it all.

"After the funeral. After they all leave. I'll explain it all to you. I promise." She told him as she got up form the bed. Tossing the towel into the laundry basket she stood by the window, leaning against the frame.

"What does this mean for us?" Garrett asked twisting on the bed to watch her.

"If I didn't think we could have a future together - I would never have told you," she answered matter of factly. "My secret is not something I share lightly and I usually only tell people important to me."

"Oh…"

xXxXx

"Is she telling him?" Amanda asked when Fiona left the room.

Methos nodded, taking a pull on his beer. "She thought it would be for the best. So we didn't have to tip-toe around him."

"Does she love him?" Richie asked not looking up from the photo album he'd pulled form the bookcase and was flipping through.

"Not as much as he'd like her too," Methos answered bluntly, but truthfully.

"Not yet at least," Duncan continued. "Maybe…"

"You watched her fall in love with Joe. Does this look anything like that?" Methos questioned, knowing the answer.

"That kind of love only comes once, maybe twice if 'we' are lucky and live long enough. Give them a chance," Duncan replied. He saw her and Garrett and had hopes for them. Fiona was ready to no longer be alone. The only thing that remained to be seen was whether Garrett could handle what being with her entailed. Not everyone could love and live with an immortal.

Amanda moved to sit next to Richie and peered over his shoulder at the pictures with him. She knew, they all did, what Duncan had left unsaid. Garrett had big shoes to fill -- would he try and fill them and fail or would he be content to walk next to them.

xXxXx

Jamie had arrived while Fiona was still in with Garrett. Brian, Elsie and Sean slipped in shortly after her. Their families arrived first thing in the morning while Sam and Rachel arrived in the morning with the urn carrying his father's ashes. Alex had been told and sought refuge with Fiona. Not knowing how to deal with the news of his great-grandfather's death. He'd been close to Michael but death was hard to comprehend for a seven year old, even one as bright as Alex.

That evening more family and friends arrived to arrive and fill the hotels and B&Bs. Outside of the family most were students of Michael's. People he'd mentored with the Watchers and had become the next generation of those who chronicled the long lived ones. Most left Fiona alone only those who had been closest to Michael came to talk to her, the rest mainly steered clear of the immortals in their midst.

The memorial service took place in the little chapel Michael and Matthew had been baptized in and they caravanned out to the cliffs to scatter Michael's ashes along with those of his grandfather and brother. When it was over Fiona took off on her horse for the hills. Farmers waved as she maneuvered through gates or flew over stone fences. The longer she rode the better she felt. Her ride took away the immediate pain of the grief but she knew the grief would linger for a long time. She had helped raise Michael and he was the closest she'd ever have to a child of her own.

xXxXx

 _He'd returned in time for the memorial service. Now he knew what was going on an understood why they had all gathered. He'd watched her ride away. He knew he'd be able to stay closer than he'd been able to before due to the amount of Immortals present. Someone was always coming in and out of range and one more quickening felt wouldn't register. He'd watched her ride away that day and he'd watched her return that night. He watched as the mortal man took her in his arms and held her. Comforting her where the others hadn't been able to._

 _Because he loved her, he'd wait. She deserved this chance, this new beginning without another ghost haunting her. He'd wait. They both, goddess willing, had time. Now it was time for her to start over and find love again._

XXxXx

Fiona watched as they all left from the hill behind her home. She'd asked Duncan to make sure Methos left with him and Amanda. She loved her old friend but now wasn't the time for him to hover over her. She'd already promised she wouldn't run away. She had something to stay for this time.

The end


End file.
